Dr Leila Nashef
I am a playwright, teacher and researcher based in Glasgow.
My background is in performance and theatremaking. I trained as an actor at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, before working in the theatre industry in London in administration, producing, performing and writing.
Nowadays I work across theatre, academia and social research, bringing creativity, nuance and a passion for people, expression, and learning to all my work.
I’m particularly interested in ethical and people-centred approaches to making work that answers complicated questions with the people they affect most.
I’m committed to trauma-informed practice, and I was awarded a doctorate in Theatre Studies with a project focused on the ethics of representing trauma onstage in 2024.
Playwriting and dramaturgy
I write script and plays independently and in collaboration with others, including as a live writer in devising and co-creative rehearsal processes. My writing is characterised by warmth, rich and pacey dialogue, and an attention to the magical.
As a dramaturg I offer support and thoughtful questions to help develop the shape of a story, or the experience of audiences. I’m an experienced reader for competitions and literary agencies, and I’m happy to discuss any dramaturgy, writing or reading opportunities via my
Contact page.
Writing
projects
The Boudica Project - A devised theatre piece in partnership with director Eleanor Felton, exploring the legacy of the Celtic Queen Boudica as an icon of female rage and resistance. Funded by Creative Scotland and due to premiere in Scotland soon.
Anchoress - A woman living as a revered and holy recluse is visited by Vic, a teenage girl. Together, the two women grapple with what faith means in our contemporary world, and how to live freely in frightening times. This play won the BOLD Playwrights Development Award in 2021.
The Stories - The Storey family are having a weird night. The hospital canteen is quiet, but they’ve got tall tales of impossible transformations to tell, while they wait for news from upstairs. Developed with the North Wall Catalyst Scheme 2022.
Cauliflower - Ellie’s twenty-three, and feeding herself is a minefield. This comedic solo show blended storytelling, spoken word and song, exploring food, growing up, and our relationships with our mums. A collaboration with award-winning performance poet, Jemima Foxtrot, performed at the Edinburgh Fringe 2019.
Rhino After a Tinder date gone badly wrong, Jess boards a Central line train heading East, heading home. Over the course of a long, strange night, her life, loves, and friendships begin to unravel. Written as part of the VAULT New Writers Award programme 2018, and performed at the King’s Head Theatre in 2019.
Writing
projects
Recent
dramaturgy
projects
Eilidh Appletree’s project ‘What’s The Time Mr Wolf’ - An installation/live art experience exploring domestic violence and complicity.
Eleanor Felton’s project ‘A Pose I Can Sustain’ - A research and development process at Summerhall Arts, about life drawing, the nude body on stage, and how we look at each other.
Research
I work in both academic and social research. As an arts academic my research interests are trauma theory, audience experience, new writing for the stage, the body in performance, feminist theatre practices, modern Scottish drama, and the theatre as a civic space. My doctoral project explored the ethical implications of staging trauma with regards to audience experience.
As a qualitative social researcher, I’ve worked on projects ranging from national people’s panels to neighbourhood-level local programmes. I’ve contributed to projects researching public attitudes to climate adaptation, emerging technologies, health security, healthcare experiences, the cost of living and community arts. I’m particularly experienced in the design and facilitation of complex deliberative processes, thematic analysis, and report writing.
Teaching and facilitation
I’ve lectured in Drama and Theatre Studies at the University of the Highlands and Islands Inverness and Northumbria University, and worked as an MA Tutor at Mountview Academy of Performing Arts. I’ve designed and delivered modules, managed and marked assessments, and offered appropriate pastoral and tutorial support. My teaching style prioritises supportive challenge, fun, collaborative and open processes, and creating environments where students can thrive.
I design and deliver ad hoc workshops and courses in creative writing, devising, acting, and scriptwriting, working with schemes like Class Act at the Traverse Theatre and Wonder Fools’ Positive Stories for Negative Times Festivals. I’ve been lucky enough to work with theatre and community groups across the country, building a wealth of experience working with young people, care experienced groups, and adults with learning disabilities.
Contact
If you’re interested in talking to me about any element of my work, from playwriting to lecturing to facilitating or dramaturgy, I’d love to hear from you.
Just fill in the contact form below and I’ll be in touch when I can.
